adv. (common).—Not in the reckoning; so far behind as not to be. [A reminiscence of that ‘Eclipse first, and the rest nowhere,’ which described the victory of a famous horse].
1851. S. WARNER, Queechy, x. All start alike, or there’s no fun in the race. You’ve fairly distanced us—left us NOWHERE.
1859. Spirit of the Times [DE VERE, 620]. Where was Flora? Flora? why, she was NOWHERE—came in last but one.
1869. GREENWOOD, The Seven Curses of London. The brave Panther when he has once crossed the threshold of that splendid damsel (who, by the way, is a thief, and addicted to drinking brandy by the ‘bumper’) is, vulgarly speaking, NOWHERE.
1872. DE VERE, Americanisms, 620, s.v. NOWHERE, to be, denotes utter failure or complete ignorance.
1884. MARGARET OLIPHANT, Madam, xxvii. You are kept in such a state till the last moment, not knowing which is to win. Sometimes the favourite is simply NOWHERE.
